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A dog, be it a puppy or older dog, is a great addition to anyone's life. Taking time to properly welcome your new companion and train it will bring you a well-adjusted and well behaved dog for years to come.

Here are some tips to help you welcome your new arrival:

First, welcome your new dog to your home. After all it will be their home also and they need to feel comfortable in it. You don't want to overwhelm him or her by having a swarm of people greeting them at the front door but you do want to introduce the dog to all of the family members as soon as possible. Plus, if you have others who come to your home frequently, like housekeepers or gardeners, you will want to include them in the "get to know each other" event. Have each person kneel down and shake hands or pet the dog while quietly talking to it. Be sure that the children get to meet the new dog while the parents are watching. Caution the children not to be jumping around or overly loud to start out.

Pre-purchase appropriate supplies. Decide where your new dog is going to eat and where they are going to sleep. Set up his or her area before they arrive. Have their water bowls and food bowls set in their eating area and have their dog bed or dog house setup and ready for them to sleep. Introduce them to their area. Say this is your bed or house and pat it or point to it. You will also want to pre-buy a dog collar, walking leash, dog shampoo and grooming brushes. Don't forget some toys and chew bones.

Assign responsibilities for your new dog. Set up a good walking and feeding schedule and make sure that someone will be available to do both of these things. Dogs typically need to be walked about thirty minutes after they eat for sure. But, they need daily exercise throughout the day. If you don't have a fenced in yard or live in a rural area with a large yard then you will need to plan time to walk them on a leash for 15 to 30 minutes at least a couple of times a day.

Get started with training right away. You can use a fairly large empty room or an outside area that is free of distractions. Try to train around the same time every day. Take a ball and some treats and bond with him or her through some play and some basic vocal tones. Words like "good boy" or "bring it back" are good for starters. Your dog will begin to know that you can be trusted and in charge. He will also begin to find you to be a likeable master.

Most of all just love him or her. Most dogs just want to be loved and to love you back. They want to protect you and the family and once they have bonded with you and the rest of the family they will give their lives for you. They want to greet you when you come home with a happy face and wagging tail. They want to be your loving companion. Simply respect them for that and give them the good care that they are willing to give to you.

Buying A Dog Collar

Be sure and get the right size collar for your dog. It needs to be a little loose but not so that it will slip off over their head. If you have taken in a puppy then don't forget that it will grow quickly. You can try to get a collar that you can expand for some of that growth but know that you will probably have to buy a larger, maybe stronger collar as they get older. Please check how tight their collar is becoming often. With all the hair it is sometimes hard to know that they have outgrown their collar.

A couple of years ago I found a stray who someone had simply tied a leash around their neck and it had become embedded into her skin so much that there was a lot of infection and the vet had to perform surgery to cut out the leash. It took stitches all across the back of her neck and treatment with antibiotics for the infection.

Just a word of caution to be vigilant about your dogs growth and their ability to quickly outgrow their collars.

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Love traveling with your dog in your SUV, car or minivan? Then you will probably need one of these quilted / padded SUV cargo liners for dogs to protect your vehicle's back cargo area from water, mud, hair and claw marks..

But, if your dog really likes to ride in the backseat then you will want to cover that area also with one of these dog vehicle seat covers to protect your cloth or leather seats.

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